The most up-to-date bus timetables for West Berkshire and the surrounding area, effective from November 2024, can be found by clicking here.
The bus routes which currently run through the parish are:
Route 1 Jet Black: Newbury to Reading, frequent service – picks up at Coachman’s Court before turning into Kiln Road at Shaw Bridge (pages 6 to 13 incl. in the timetable). Daily service (including Sundays).
Route 1e: The late night service between Newbury and Thatcham – also picks up at Coachman’s Court before turning into Kiln Road at Shaw Bridge (pages 18 + 19 in the timetable). Friday + Saturday evenings only.
Routes 6 + 6A: Newbury via Castle P.H. or Shaw Cemetery to the Ilsleys (pages 34 + 35 in the timetable). Service on 6 days per week (not Sundays). The 08:00 service from Shaw Cemetery extends to serve Newbury College and Park House School on school days only; however, there is no direct return service in the afternoons.
Route X24/X34: Buses between Newbury Wharf, Harwell Campus and Didcot Parkway Station now run via the Oxford Road, Love Lane and Donnington Heights and call at the Vodafone Roundabout in each direction. There is an approximately hourly service (Mondays – Saturdays) between early morning and mid-evening. See pages 52 to 55 of the timetable.
As there are currently no physical bus stops between the Vodafone Roundabout and Donnington Priory (Dreweatts auction house), passengers wishing to board the bus anywhere along Garrison Meadows, Bastion Street or Love Lane should stand in a suitable place and hold out an arm to hail the bus. Fares can be paid using cash or by tapping on and off with a credit or debit card. It is hoped that actual stops will be installed in the near future.
Passengers wishing to travel to Oxford should change from the X24/X34 to the ST1 service at Harwell Becquerel Avenue on weekdays, and from the X34 to the X32 service at Didcot Parkway Station on Saturdays. The ST1 stop in Oxford City Centre is in Broad Street. The X32 calls at St Aldates (stop G2) on arrival in Oxford; the return journey to Didcot is from stop H3 in St Aldates. Remember that the last bus back to Harwell on weekdays with a connection back to Donnington leaves Oxford at 17:55 (arr. Bastion Street 19:30); the last bus back to Didcot on Saturdays leaves at 17:33 (arr. Bastion Street 19:16). These times are current as of November 2024 and may be revised in the future. For more details and to plan journeys online, follow this link: https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/services → Menu.
Community Connect: The on-demand minibus service replaced the withdrawn Route 5 service. It can pick passengers up in the Shaw-cum-Donnington area and take them to anywhere in the Newbury area, between 0830 and 1900 Mondays – Fridays only. Tel. 01635-519650 or see pages 70 + 71 in the timetable.
Community Connect CCA: This service links the Downlands villages and the south of Newbury, once a day in each direction (Mondays – Friday only). It picks up at Donnington Square at 08:00 and takes passengers directly to Newbury College, Park House School and St. Bart’s School, returning in the afternoons. See page 75 in the timetable.
More travel information can be found on the West Berkshire Council website.
Useful bus maps of the local area can be found on pages 104 – 107 incl. of the timetable.